The Buyer | Top London restaurants, bars and pubs go through to Harden’s final

Whoever comes out on top will have fought off serious competition in Harden’s inaugural London Restaurant Awards.

Awards chosen by diners and not the trade

Les 110 des Taillevent, Noble Rot, Enoteca Turi and Terroirs will battle it out for the prize of Wine List of the Year in the upcoming Harden’s London Restaurants Awards 2016.

All four would be respected winners of a category, supported by English winery, Chapel Down, that is just one of 12 awards in what is the first time that Harden’s has stepped out to host its own event to celebrate the best of what is going on in the London premium on-trade. Noticeably all those on the shortlist have been voted for by actual diners, not the trade, as part of Harden’s annual restaurant survey. That works out at 50,000 reviews from 7,500 different contributors.

Those vying for Top Gastronomic Experience, also which is supported by Chapel Down, is Brett Graham’s The Ledbury in Notting Hill, a serial winner of such awards, along with what Harden’s claims is London’s most expensive restaurant – The Araki.

Peter Harden, co-founder of Harden’s and the brains behind the new event, said: “Street-food vendors and London’s most famous chefs will rub shoulders at the new Harden’s London Restaurant Awards, as we recognise both the budget rising stars and veteran celebrity kitchens of the world’s most diverse, and increasingly its best, restaurant scene.”

The awards are keen to highlight and celebrate restaurants that have recently been opened so from the four nominees in each category, two have been selected purely on the strength of diners’ votes, and a further two selected on a similar basis, but from newer restaurant openings of the last two to three years. From the four candidates, the Harden’s editors pick the final winner, with a bias to recognising rising talent that possesses the potential to emerge as some of London’s very best in any given category, said Peter Harden.

The Awards take place at The Hippodrome Casino in Leicester Square and will be hosted by BBC presenter, Nigel Barden and Peter Harden on September 12.

The full shortlist line up is:

WINE LIST OF THE YEAR • Les 110 de Taillevant • Enoteca Turi
• • Noble Rot • • Terroirs TOP NEWCOMER TOP BAR OR PUB • Anglo • Anchor & Hope • Black Axe Mangal • The Harcourt • • Harwood Arms Som Saa • The Marksman TOP CHEAP EAT BEST FOR ROMANCE • •
Clos Maggiore • • Ivy Chelsea Green • • Pidgin • • La Poule au Pot BEST FOR BUSINESS BEST BREAKFAST OR BRUNCH • • Cecconis • • 45 Jermyn Street • • Milk • • The Wolseley BEST STEAKS & GRILLS TOP COFFEE HOUSE • Flat Iron • Department of Coffee • • Doppio • Hawksmoor • Monmouth Coffee • Popeseye Highgate • Tamp BEST STREET FOOD BEST AFTERNOON TEA • Gourmet Goat • • Kappacasein Dairy • Ham Yard • • The Ritz • Smokestak • Ting